Attorneys on both sides of Abe Hamadeh’s election contest discovered on Friday that a Mohave County Superior Court judge has failed again. Judge Lee Jantzen signed what should have been a final order, but left matters pending, resulting in an “unfinal” final order.
“Another unfortunate error has delayed final judgment,” Jen Wright, attorney for Hamadeh told the Arizona Daily Independent. “Although the order that was filed today states that ‘nothing else [is] pending’, it specifically left open the rate of pay for ballot inspectors in Mohave and Navajo counties. This prevents the order from being a legally compliant final judgment. Unfortunately, that means an appeal is still premature and, if filed, could once again be dismissed by the Court of Appeals.”
Wright added that Hamadeh’s legal team is working with opposing counsel to ask the Mohave court to issue a partial judgment so that Hamadeh can file an appeal on the denial of the motion for a new trial while the motions regarding the ballot inspector fees proceed in the Mohave court.
Mohave County residents have reached out to Arizona Daily Independent embarrassed and frustrated by the continued missteps by Judge Jantzen, who was re-elected to the bench in November of 2022 for another four-year term. Residents are concerned about Judge Jantzen’s history of malfeasance and how his conduct in this case could indicate issues with other more routine cases that he presides over.
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Legal pundits note that while Hamadeh has made good faith attempts to expedite the appellate proceedings, the trial court’s comedy of judicial errors has been the case’s biggest stumbling block. In comparison, Kari Lake’s election contest litigated in Maricopa County has had two trials and made its way up to the Supreme Court several times in the same amount of time it has taken the Mohave court to deny Hamadeh’s January 3rd motion for a new trial. Kari Lake will be back in court September 21st in a public records lawsuit related to her election contest.
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Arizonans have expressed eagerness to have Hamadeh’s election contest heard on appeal, given that more than 9,000 provisional ballots remain uncounted with just 280 votes separating Hamadeh from Mayes. Unfortunately, the trial court’s repeated mistakes and what some believe is intentional slow walking, has caused delays that have created an increased air of distrust in both the judicial system and the electoral process.
Hamadeh’s co plaintiff Kentch, who is also the Mohave County GOP Chair, was warned about Jantzen when he ran for reelection. I urged precinct committeemen to write in their dog or whatever, since he was unopposed, to send home a message. Clearly she did not raise any concerns to Abe’s legal team, so they could have filed a motion for change of judge.
Maricopa County Superior Judge Peter Thompson “twice” refused to accept evidence of election fraud in the Kari Lake case. So where is the Republican effort to “RECALL” this compromised or corrupt judge?
Where is Mohaves effort to recall this judge?? Don’t bitch; start a recall!
Anybody besides me see that this judge is compromised and is deliberately screwing up to delay justice for the real winner of the AG contest?
Count me in. WAY to obvious!!!
Looks like it to me as well. He has his marching orders from the RINO AzGOP to delay it as long as possible.
Effluent flow…. job well done – this is one hundred % PURE!
Mohave county voters elected Judge Jantzen using what information they personally had access to. They have no reason to be embarrassed by this judge’s behavior and lack of due diligence. He was suppose to SERVE using the standard of good faith. Apparently Judge Jantzen’s method of operating though it IS negligent and lacks accountability, is ACCEPTED by his peers and those tasked with oversight of judicial conduct. We get that the standards are in decline. But we don’t agree or approve of that decline. Arizonans will remember that Jantzen’s peers and those with oversight ALLOWED this person to remain in position which interfered directly with a citizen’s right to address their grievances through Arizona’s court system IN a timely manner. Unacceptable conduct all around! If possible Mohave county voters to may initiate a RECALL of Jantzen.
I reside in Mohave County and I never received confirmation that my vote was counted. I called the 800 number that I was referred too! This makes it more suspicious. I guess we’ll have to recall Judge Jantzen. I had no idea Arizona was as corrupt as California?
Why do attorneys run cover for this judge by saying he accidentally did this? It is his JOB! This is not his first rodeo!
Get him off the bench!!
The judge is a crook. It just gives those of us who ask questions more reason to believe that a real coverup is going on.
Like there was some doubt?
Either a crook or a coward, I haven’t decided which one yet
What in bloody hell is going on there? To paraphrase Winston Churchill ‘Never have so many been so negatively affected by the actions of the one’
This inept judge should be fe,over from the bench!
Can’t tell me it’s an accident when it’s happened for 9 months (this time) and he’s been reprimanded for the exact same thing historically, either he’s lazy AF or it’s willful and you’d have to be ignorant and clinically retarded to not see what’s going on here. Clock and money in the states court they running the clock out.
more games by our so called justice system
How about its time to clean up the corrupt judges in this country and get things back on a legal track. Most of these judges have abused their bench to set unconstitutional judgements.. Who is running this country now? China? Time to go and start prosecuting all the DA’s AG’s and Judges that are not upholding their oath of office.. Has to be someone with the power to arrest these criminals. Sheriff? Marshals?
“Goofs”? “Error”? Justice delayed is justice denied, and at some point you have to assume a result repeatedly achieved is the result intended.
Judge Jentzen must have been bought off by the Cartels like the rest of the crooked DNC politicians have been in Arizona.
Criminals are running our country